The UC Board of Regents' Grounds and Buildings Committee approved an increase in funding Tuesday for UC Berkeley construction projects, including the Student-Athlete High Performance Center.

The regents will officially vote on the funding measures Thursday.

The action concerning the Student-Athlete High Performance Center would increase the project's budget by $35.6 million, making the total cost $153 million.

"The plan right now is to finance (the center) with a combination of gifts and external financing, and that external financing would be supported by football revenues," said Dan Mogulof, executive director of external affairs at UC Berkeley.

The increase would cover legal counsel and police security costs incurred during the 21-month-long protest against the center's construction.

The athletic center became the focus of controversy when demonstrators staged a tree-sit to stop the destruction of the oak grove at the proposed building site.

Opposition to the project also led to four lawsuits being filed against the university, resulting in a court injunction that led to further delays in construction.

A state appellate court ruled in September that the campus could begin construction at the site and remove the tree-sitters.

The center is scheduled for completion in fall 2011. Once completed, the 142,000-square-foot center will expand and improve facilities for student athletes, Mogulof said.

The center will be able to support about 450 student athletes in 13 sport programs, he said.

The center's construction is still in its beginning stages. Over the winter break, the campus installed a new water line under Gayley Road and began building fences at the site, according to Christine Shaff, communications manager for UC Berkeley Facility Services.

Construction workers are set to drill and dig trenches at the site throughout the week.

Another item discussed at yesterday's meeting calls for an increase of $800,000 for the construction of the Li Ka-Shing Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences, which is expected to cost $267 million in total.

Tags: STUDENT-ATHLETE HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTER